Russia's Defense Minister Lauds Agreement On Afghanistan

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov speaks highly of the agreement on forming a provisional administration in Afghanistan, which was concluded in Bonn. In a conversation with journalists in Kazan, Sergei Ivanov observed that, in his view, this agreement "is a reflection of the position which the Russian Federation has already stated". The defense minister recalled that over a month ago "Russia unambiguously declared that it stands for the creation of a broad coalition government of Afghanistan, including representatives of all nations and ethnic groups populating it". The provisional government of Afghanistan should be made up, in the first place, of representatives of Pashtuns, which constitute the bulk of the population of Afghanistan, stressed Sergei Ivanov.